Ici au Bella Center de Copenhague, les ministres et chefs d’État prennent tour à tout la parle en plénière. Au nom de l’Union Européenne, le ministre suédois de l’Environnement, Andreas Carlgren, a lancé un appel pressant à la Chine et aux États-Unis, les deux plus grands émetteurs de gaz à effet de serre au monde. L’extrait ci-dessus, en version originale, vaut la peine d’être. Il donne un éclairage sur le ton et le contenu de certains des plus grands enjeux :

We fought hard to rescue the Kyoto protocol. We will do much better than our Kyoto target.
We want an agreement building on all essentials of the Kyoto protocol. However, the Protocol
alone cover less than a third of global emissions and will not be enough to win the battle
against climate change. We must strive for an agreement that is comprehensive, more
ambitious, with broader participation and legally binding for all.
Here in Copenhagen we want the key decisions that will lock in the substance of the
agreement. A legally binding regime should follow as soon as possible preferably within six
months.

EU, representing roughly a tenth of global emissions, is ready to adopt the target of 30
percent by 2020 in a global ambitious agreement. We use the conditional 30 percent
reduction as a lever to bring others with us to raised ambitions. We will keep that pressure!

Here I turn to the United States and China. Together you are responsible for half of the global
greenhouse gas emissions. You have different responsibilities and capabilities. From the
United States we expect, as from all developed counties, a legally binding economy-wide
commitment to reduce emissions. From China we expect binding actions. Your ability to
reduce emissions will be absolutely crucial. It is promising that you have come forward with
your contributions in an international context. However, the world needs more and we are
confident that you have the ability to deliver more. Let us be honest with each other: Together
your ambitions to limit emissions will make or break the world’s efforts to keep global
warming below 2 degrees Celsius. Therefore I turn to you, as a friend and a committed
partner, and I say: United States and China: unleash your full potential and thereby the
world’s efforts – make it possible for the world to stay below 2 degrees!

Let this be the place to take the decisive step to tackle the climate challenge. Let this be the
time to steer towards a low-carbon growth and poverty eradication. Let this be the hall where
we agree! Let us be able to look each other straight in the eyes and say: All in all, together
we are citizens of this incredibly beautiful planet and therefore we have to make this together.